Fan Races!!

[Aramanthus]

I've got some old CD ROMs I could offer up! Maybe that'll work!!! Thank you for the suggestion Roscoe!

[Roscoe Del'Tane]

No problem! And if that doesn't work, break out the trusty ol' Boom-stick, and blast her pointy horns right off her head! For best results, lay a trap, and then let her have it with both barrels! Remember to have an exorcism performed on and in the areas around your house, she has a nasty habit of leaving extra 'goodies' around for the unwary...

[taalismn]

Hmmm...fun, rampaging, militant species there, Roscoe! Just the thing to promote interspecies chumship and more than a few hot-and-comradely arms races!

[Aramanthus]

I just have to wait until I can get a new computer. Which I should have tonight. And then I just have to set it up.

[Roscoe Del'Tane]

[Reads write-up on the Loonies] Ah man, I forgot the best bits!

[The Lonrishkies Continued]

The Loonies have special pods for those who have comitted the disgraceful sin of showing 'pain', appropriatly dubbed the "Loonie-Bins' by those who have seen them in action, in which the offenders serve out their sentence fighting against nigh-overwhelming odds in far-flung systems. The Bins are divided up into nine sections, eight of which carry gunners (each gunner is responsible for one quarter of a hemisphere), and one command compartment. Those condemmed to man these Bins, are literally bolted into their command chairs, they can't leave untill they have formed sufficient 'pennace'. The condemmed are fed off of central tank, which houses a dozen different types of nutrient rich mush, and watered intraveneously

Each of the gunnery batteries are bristling with massive rail-guns, kinetic missle launchers, particle-beam turrets, and lots of other ways of dealing massive amounts of damage. Each battery has its own triply redundant power sources to ensure the longest amount of fight time. There are no actual windows in the batteries, the gunner is relying totaly on sensors and drone views to attack the enemy. The gunner gets to customize their weaponry for what they beleive to be to their best advantage. They can only control one set of weapons at one time though, so the rest of them will be under A.I. control. Each set of weapons (they are installed in groups of three) are fire-linked to all shoot at the same target, in order to maximize the damage done.

The command compartment is smack dab in the center of the Bin, and is controlled by a pair of Loonies with cyber-links implanted in their skulls. He is hooked up for a shift, before switching over to the second Loonie, though in battle conditions both are active, one controlling the ship, and the other relaying sensor info to the pilot. They are propelled by a Contra-Gravity engine similar to those used by Naruni-Enterprizes, and highly manuverable. While the bins aren't the fastest vehicles out there, they are tough, have highly efficient auto-repair systems, and pack one heck of a punch for somethinn their size. They are usually deployed in groups of four or five, nominally where there is heavy fighting, which they enter without a care, blasting away indescriminatly. This has given rise to their unflattering nickname of "Loonies", though it has also given them a killer reputation among those looking to hire mercenaries and thugs.

And as mentioned earlier they have some very, disquiteing, tastes in food. Actually, they don't consider most things we can eat to be 'food' unless it is still moving or covered in flies. This has led to them being pretty much universaly banned from state dinners and such, as they tend to bring their own 'meals'. Most diplomats and ambassadors will do whatever it takes to avoid eating with them, something the Loonies were quick to pick up (and even quicker to exploit), given that its rather disquiting to see group of 30-40 big lizard men chowing down on a bunch of rabbits and kittens. They are also incredibly condescending to those who are too 'weak' to eat as they do, and many of them spend their free time loitering around outside of restaurants, insulting the customers and offering them some 'real' food.

[Aramanthus]

Nice addition! I'm looking forward to seeing more! I've got to set up my new computer tonight, then go online!

[taalismn]

Ah! Take 'em out to the gourmet dining stalls behind the slaughterhouses.... Security AND environmental cleanup in one fell swoop...Offer it all for free to them, and you've got the makings for a finesse of galactic diplomacy....

[Aramanthus]

LOL That is true.

[taalismn]

"We're dining at Gut-Palace!"

[Roscoe Del'Tane]

"We're dining at Gut-Palace!"

"Yeah, I'd like the Horse-fly burger, with deep-fried entrails on the side, and a Mondo-Sized Slurry Shake."

Yeah, thats what they'd call a great eatery.

Ohh man, just imagine going into a mortuary and seeing one of them behind the counter, you know they'd have a 'buffet table' out back for the workers...

[Aramanthus]

You might expect to see something like this on Atlantis at the time of Rifts earth.

[taalismn]

Mussephans

(gnash, gnash)“Thought you were pretty clever, trying to shoot me in the head from behind with your particle beam pistol, did you?! Let’s see how clever you are at figuring out how to feed yourself without any fingers!”(gnash, gnash)

The Mussephans evolved from killer whale-like pack hunters who came back onto dry land after chasing the major prey species back onto land. Their homeworld, Orsephan, is a high-gravity world with 75% water coverage, and multiple low, marshy island chains broken up by large volcanically-active sea-mounts and lava-spill plains. This has encouraged the evolution of beings who retain substantial land- AND sea-going capabilities to seek prey or escape predators. The tendancy of the geologically active planet’s plate tectonics to spew out sudden waves of magma across the islands, or even to explode entire islands, or generate oceanic tsunamis, keeps the animal life ready to move to high ground or dive for deep water.
This same active environment has also provided the developing Mussephans with law materials in the form of metals spewed up from the planet’s mantle, and, later, with geothermal heat as Mussephan technology developed.
Mussephans have a strong, cooperative society that encourages the formation of long-term associations and pack-like teams that act almost as families and hunting pods, working towards common goals. Mussephans thus tend to be very friendly and cooperative among their own people, but cut-throat and aggressive among other peoples. In business and in war, Mussephans present a united front that is deliberately intimidating; Mussephans prefer to bargain from positions of strength. Any outsider who has faced a ten-strong Mussephan negotiating ‘pack’ at a ‘friendly’ little business meeting, or a Heavy Squadron of Mussephan StarHunters can attest to the effectiveness of Mussephan numbers.
Given their strong family-group orientation, it is rare to see solitary Mussephans. However, most of the rest of the Three Galaxies knows only solitary Mussephans; those few rogues who leave their worlds and family ties to wander the universe in search of adventure, fortune, or a place to fit in. For whatever reason, these individuals have found it hard to fit into their close-knit society, and have found it preferable to fare off into the unknown. Some of these wanderers eventually tire of the loneliness and return home, having expended their anxious energies and wanderlust, to fit back into their home society, while others never find their way back.
The Musspehans have held dominance over a small eight-system confederation of settled worlds, that has remained independent for over five hundred years. Their contribution to the galactic economy comes in the form of mineral exports; three of their worlds are in metal-rich systems, while two other worlds export agricultural and chemical products. The Mussephans are also in the process of terraforming two more Venus-style worlds into wet hot habitats, using cometary falls and nuclear-triggered volcanism to alter the chemical atmospheres into proper seed environs.
In the past, military forces from both the Golgan Republik and the Central Alliance have tried to invade, but have been beaten off, courtesy of Mussephan bloody-mindedness. They almost fell afoul of a Naruni marketing scheme, but managed to get out of it before their species ended up in permanent debt, though they paid some serious financial penalties to do so...since then, they have regarded Naruni Enterprises with considerable disdain(and in fact, several of the Mussephan politocorps have been secretly cooperating with the CCW to reverse-engineer NE armaments....In fact, two massive factory complexes have been set up as a joint effort between the GSA and the Mussephan collective-corporate government to produce re-worked NE weapons....a portion of the output to go to the CAF. Whether this cooperative project foreshadows a breaking with the Mussephans’ traditional independent streak, and brings them into the CCW’s fold, is as yet undetermined...The GSA may prefer that the Musspehans retain their status as free agents outside the operating boundaries of CCW law, rather than make them subject to its restrictions.

Alignments: Any, but most (80%) are Principled, Srupulous, or Aberrant, while rogues are commonly Anrachist or Miscreant.
Lifespan: 75 years
Size: 8-10 ft tall, 300-500 lbs
Gender:Heterosexual, females give live birth to 1-2 young after a 12 month gestation period. They prefer to breed and birth in water, and pregnant females typically retire to the water during the latter half of their pregnancies.
Physical Description/Appearance:
Hulking humanoids with a hunched-over posture, a thick short fluked tail, powerful rear legs with backwrds-bending knees, muscular forearms ending in large, three-fingered claw hands with vestigal webbing between the fingers, and a small head on a thick neck. Closeable gill slits run along the neck. The head is small and blunt, lacking any nose, with a small mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. The eyes are small and red, under thick brows and a high forehead. The neck is nearly non-existant, with only limited flexibility side to side(Museephans cannot look over their shoulders without taking 2 APMs to do it) Mussephans have thick black-gray skin, with lighter chest and bellies. The Mussephans heen described as looking like a cross between a frog and a killer whale, with a high tech bad attitude grafted on.
Disposition/Attitudes:
No non-sense, pragmatic, and coldly practical. They do what needs to be done, however much others might find it distasteful, without complaining. If angered, they have mean streaks as wide as their broad backs, and a tendency to rip apart the cause of their anger.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 3d6
ME: 3d6
MA: 3d6
PS: 5d6 (Considered to be Superhuman)
PP: 2d6
PB: 2d6
PE: 4d6
SPD: 3d6x3 running, 2d4x10 swimming
(ISP):----
(PPE): 3d6
Hit Points:----
SDC:----
MDC: 3d6x10+20 MD +2d4 MD per level of experience
Horror Factor: 9
Natural Abilities:
*Natural Swimmers--Mussephans have streamlined bodies and vestigal webbing between their fingers, plus fully webbed and muscular legs(the fluke acts more as steering mechanisms than anything else), giving them a very good turn of speed in the water

*Gills--Mussephans are fully amphious, able to breath both air and water; ther gills are insulated against dehydration when not in use by leathery skin flaps and mucus secretions. Mussephans have a depth tolerance of 4,000 ft.

*Superior Hearing---Rather than active echolocation users, Mussephans use passive sonar to detect sounds and presenses in their environment, using two large subcutaneous slab-like ‘ears’ along their thick necks to pick up on sounds.
Out of the water, the hearing organs allow the Mussephan to hear in the ultrasonic range, similar to a dog, and is +1 to Dodge. Effective range is 50 ft + 2 ft per level of experience
Underwater, the Mussephan can interpret shapes 60%+4% per level of experience, determine distance 60%+4% per level of experience, determine direction 50%+% per level of experience, determine speed 60%+4% per level of experience, recognize shapes 80%+2% per level of experience, +10% to Detect Ambush. =1 Initiative, +1 Strike, +1 to Dodge, and suffers no penaties from being blind or unable to see in total darkness. Effective range is 200 ft per level of experience

*Electromagnetic Senses---Like a shark, Mussephans can pick up on minute changes in the surrounding electromagnetic field...In the distant past, their ancestors used this ability to detect prey underwater...In time, the sense was refined to pick up on electromagnetic spikes associated with imminent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Modern Mussephans can pick up on the presence of living beings in a 200 ft radius, or the electrical build-up of energy weapons prior to firing, within a 1,000 ft ft radius...giving the Mussephan a +1 to Initiative against an opponent using an energy or rail gun-style weapon within that area, plus CANNOT be surprised by sneak attacks or ambushes using energy weapons. The sensitivity also gives a 30%+5% chance of predicting/anticipating plate tectonic-caused earthquakes within 1d4 hours.

*Sharp Teeth----The powerfully musculed jaw sports an array of needle-sharp teeth; 4d6 SDC or 1d6 MD bite

*Retractable Claws---The large hands of the Mussephans sport sharp retractable claws for both gripping onto/into prey, and for climbing rocks and coastal cliffs. +1d6 damage to a slash/punch/claw.

*Pack Slayers---If four or more Mussephans act together in combat, they seem to form a collective berserker...As long as they can see or hear each other, they egg each other on, and bolster the pack members’ courage and ferocity. +4 to save versus Horror Factor, +1 to Initiative, +1 strike, and +1 APM for all members of the pack.
Avowed Rogues must roll against their ME if they wish to benefit from this with stranger Mussephans(like joining in a fight with fellow countrymen) since their own sense of alienation/self-determinism conflicts with their instinct. A roll under their ME means they cannot join in the temporary pack, a failure means instinct overrides, and they can become a part of the ‘pack’.

Psionics: None
Magic: None
Cybernetics/Bionics: No objections to cybernetic or bionic augmentation, except where it may interfere with natural abilities.
Available OCCs: Any high-tech professions except Robot/Power Armor Pilots, Psychic, or Magic OCCs. Many Rogues take up professions like Wilderness Scout or Bounty Hunter.
RCC Skills:
Navigation: Underwater: (+15%)
Skills of Note:
Navigation: Land(+10%, from magnetic sense)
Climbing(+5%, if taken, from claws)
Culture:
Pack-based corporate state, with multiple privately-owned socio-industrial organizations competing to provide services and manage resources. These blocs may be focused on one particular region, or may be sprawled over several star systems; many Mussephans have no fixed abode, but travel with their companies or packs from location to location, as economic needs dictate. Technology is Early Galactic

[taalismn]

munchkin time....

Tane

“I am well aware of your claim to this world, Premier Zhan...I am also well aware of your previous eight attempts to seize it by force, your campaign of economic warfare against its people, your discrimination and persecution of its ethnic peoples, and that your current blockade and interference have already resulted in ten million deaths from starvation alone.....Your claims are a matter of public record...But it is also public record that my government is extending humanitarian aide to this world, and it is our intention to see that this aide gets through.....And you should be well aware from the public record that what Tane intend to do, Tane accomplish.....If you are not aware of this, please, by all means, keep your ships in our way...Our weapons officers will be all too pleased to enlighten you as to our determination.”
------ Szade-Admiral Chal’ze Anatori, Tane Imperium

Tane can be considered to be a Human-variant sept, similar to the Atlanteans or the Altess, but who have achieved their superior physical status through a combination of genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and neural-interface ‘wetware’. The Tane hold sway over a distant galaxy where they are the dominant power, but recently they have begun appearing in the Three Galaxies via Phaseworld as explorers, merchants, and diplomats.


Physiology:

“Perfect health, perfect looks, straight teeth, the ability to read your thoughts, and the objective sanity to tell you what’s wrong with the way you are...and they’re so MODEST about it! What’s not to hate about them?”
----Honori Sorlan Mkessa, Iridan Ambassador to the Tane Imperium.

Tane are a human-variant sept with possible xeno-hybridization and extensive genetic modification. They appear as regular humans, with a more refined musculature and superior health. The most distinctive feature of the Tane are their polychromatic eyes that seem to glow, most often a blue-silver. The Tane would be often confused with the Three Galaxies’ Altess because of their attractive aristocratic features, demeanor, and wealth, but while the Altess bred for aristocratic bloodlines, Tane are far more advanced; though not as tough, Tane are superior psychics and enjoy more sophisticated immune defenses. Tane biology, like the Altess, seems to have selected for a certain aesthetic, a greater physical fitness, resistance to disease and disorders, and longevity, but their genetic makeup seems to have also borrowed extensively from the legendary genetically-engineered super-soldiers of their distant past, with enhanced senses, combat-level reflexes, and adaptability to a variety of hazardous conditions. Though currently at best minor megadamage beings, the Tane are likely well on the way to becoming true megadamage beings in another generation or so, given their steady progress.
Tane society is extensively psychic...though they don’t think of themselves as ‘psionic’ in the same terms as others.....Many of their extra-sensory abilities grew out of a merging of the psychiatric study of certain forms of creative intuition and machine-interface technology. Abilities such as Machine Interface were among the first ‘serious’ abilities to be manifest in any large scale among the Tane populace. However, it was soon realized that stimulating certain portions of the brain, along with special meditation exercises, could sensitize the mind to other outside coherent energy patterns, such as those in other brains. Almost immediately, the Tane began developing countermeasures and methods to prevent what they feared might be a new ‘mental arms race’, seeing a commonality and danger in mental ‘memes’(or ‘viral’ ideas) and computer viruses, and succeeded in managing their evolution into a psychic species with little turmoil.
Besides their extensive biological sciences.psionics, and genetic manipulation technology, Tane practice a form of immortality they call Soul-Caching.....All Tane possess a golf-ball-sized sphere of superhard (50 MDC) psycho-sensitive crystal that records their thoughts and memories in its atomic structure. Most Tane chose to carry the Soul-Cache as an implant in their bodies(typically in the chest cavity) while some prefer to keep the crystal outside their bodies in a safe place(especially if they are going into a dangerous situation where they don’t expect their bodies to be recoverable. Updating the Soul-Cache requires the Tane to spend 10-15 minutes concentrating on placing their thoughts inside the crystal, reinforcing the memories already there, as welll as adding what new ones have been experienced since the last update.
In the event that the individual Tane should die, and immediate revivification is not possible, priority is given to recovering the Soul-Cache...Using the memories and psych-imprint in the crystal, Tane physicians can imprint them on a fast-gestated new clone body.
Soul-Caching is reliable, with only a 2% chance of deterioration of the saved thought-imprint. Non-Tane can safely handle a Soul-Cache without endangering the integrity of the imprint, but most Tane discourage any prolonged contact with the crystal. Psychic sensitives are able to pick up fleeting thoughts and impressions of the Tane owner, while handling the Soul-Cache, but projective psychics run a strong(20%) chance of damaging or contaminating the crystal patterns of the Soul-Cache.
Tane can store other people’s soul-patterns in their Soul-Cache by overwriting their own essence-imprint, by physical and psionic contact with both the crystal and the other party, but this is a desperation move with a strong (20%) chance of distortion or even residual donor-soul cross-contamination of the new imprint. Typically a Soul-Cache can only be so ‘multi-imprinted’ 1d4 times before becoming useless and requiring replacement. Another risky mental trick is ‘life-boating’; using a single Soul-Cache to store the combined soul-imprints of two(rarely more) individuals....Here, the chance for distortion/cross-contamination rises to 30%. Any more individuals involved in a single ‘life-boating’ raises the chance of catastrophic soul-merging by 20% per extra person......Rescuers recovering the crystal may be unable to correctly distinguish the multiple imprints one from the other, and attempts to transfer the stored essences to new bodies often results in the generation of new individuals with badly fragmented psyches, gestaltic personas(a mishmash of the traits of the various individuals merged), or reversion to child-like behavior levels(can still learn and mature, but the previous adult knowledge and personas are forever lost).

Note that many of the advantages of Tane physiology can be gifted onto others via the Tanes’ advanced genetic sciences.....This is often the case when outsiders are adopted into Tane society(through marriage or adoption as children)...The individuals receive a ‘package upgrade’ and attendant physical therapy and counseling(especially in the mental disciplines) in order that they may better assimilate into mainstream society. However, this process isn’t always successful....20% of recipients cannot adequately adapt to having psionic powers and develop mental problems or remain ’mind-blind’ with their psionic abilities hardly functioning or turned off altogether...Tane society doesn’t show bias against non-psychic citizens, but it can be a handicap in public positions, and such unfortunates may not be illegible for public service positions. The ‘package upgrade’ has also met with some complaint by both Tane and outsider minority groups, who feel the practice is contradictory to the declared Tane intent of bringing in ‘new blood’, by changing that outsider genetic identity to match the Tane standard...thus negating most, if not all, of the benefitts of the new bloodline. Of course, there’s also a fair amount of pressure from applicants wishing to become Tane citizens(and get the physical augmentations and longer lifespans) that the Tane should share their genetic enhancements with all who ask. A favorite topic of outside xenobiologists is whether the Tane ability to effectively ‘reformat’ other peoples into Tane means that the Tane are less a race in their own right, and more an expanded nation-sect of biological cyborgs. The Tane scoff at this idea, defending their physiology as the result of directed evolution, via naturally developed tools(their minds and technology), and that no ‘shortcuts’ producing an ‘artificial’ species were employed.

Tane also have engineered, using their Telemechanics psionics, a form of ‘psionic internet’ that allows Tane citizens to communicate and share knowledge from public databanks. Part psionic and part technological, the early versions of the TaneNet almost triggered a new bout of ChangeWars....some enthusiasts saw in it the opportunity to merge allparticipating Tane minds in a super-gestalt group mind, while others saw it as the ultimate brainwashing instrument. The fact is, neither group was right....Like cellular phones, the early TaneNet proved prone to breakdown and distraction, and despite the glowing predictions of the gestaltists, complete mental merging between more than a handful of people proved impossible; latent individualism tended to resist being assimilated into a homogenous whole, and while in the short term couples and small groups might be able to merge thoughts, and even merge minds, larger groups tended to fall apart quickly. Several attempts by splinter societies of the Tane to produce permanent group minds or ‘communal souls’ ended in frustration and insanity, yet provided invaluable data on the strengths and weaknesses of such efforts. This laid to rest fears of all-assimilating ‘over-souls’ that would devour individual consciousnesses.
However, larger groups could agree to pool ISP(much as a mage might persuade friends or cultists to communally donate PPE), suggesting possible strategic uses for the TaneNet. Careful experimentation and the evolution of combination mental ‘focuses’ and disciplines also served to calm fears that the TaneNet might be used to mass-mindcontrol entire populations, by setting up ‘psiwalls’ in both the telepathic stream and in individual minds to prevent telepathic possession and mental viruses from taking hold. Another, less easily resolved, issue that is still being hotly discussed is whether or not the Tane psi-net, with its ready access to communications and stored information, is addictive and detrimental to individual mental development; with so much information so readily at hand(or mind, rather), the concern is that individual Tane are less driven to academic achievement. Proponents of the psi-net scoff at this, noting the similarity to arguments rife in cultures with less sophisticated computer ‘internets’, but it is often those same proponents who are the staunchest advocates of the Tane policy of seeking out fresh cultural stimuli in order to stave off a suffocating cultural ennui and stagnation in Tane society.

History:
Tane history has two distinct lines; one teaches that the Tane evolved naturally on their homeworld of Tanias Prime, with a background rich in lore and legend. The other is that the Tane people were refugees, the last remanents of a great galactic empire fallen in some unimaginable catastrophe, who polarized around the empire’s last remaining warships and sought a home at an isolated scientific research colony far removed from their destroyed homeworlds. The truth is most likely a combination of the two; the original Tane may well have been a close Human-analogue of alternate evolution who were visited by another human species(again, many suspect the Atlanteans), who set up a small scientific study station in an isolated region of the planet. When a sudden influx of refugees arrived, the scientists used their technology to allow the newcomers to be assimilated into the existing Tane population; rather than the newcomers’ superior technology allowing them to dominate the native culture and impose their own culture on the natives, the reverse seems to have taken place. The refugees acclimated and took up local customs, even mythology, and the last true diehard adherents to the old galactic ways died off, leaving only recorded technical knowledge and training, and a few scattered family records, to their colleagues’ descendants.
In due time, supra-national societies arose on Tanias Prime, the technology of space travel was again discovered, and the Tane began to expand into their sector of space, quickly discovering several nearby inhabitable (or at least terraformable) worlds that they colonized.



The Change Wars

“It was our test, our passage of fire...Had we failed, we would have snuffed ourselves out and the rest of the galaxy would have taken little note of our passing....save as another brief flicker of life that choked in its own rapid consumption....another dead-end in the evolution of intelligence...”

Over five thousand T-years ago, not long after the Tane established their first extra-solar colonies, Tane society suffered the century-long turmoil of the Change Wars. This period of civil unrest occured just as the Tane were perfecting their genetic engineering technologies and were considering applying them to their species as a whole. Matters of genetic ethics and right of access to genetic technologies flared from academic arguments to physical conflict. Matters of the legal rights to the exploitation of genetic material(including individuals’ rights to their own genetic information) went from legal debates to gaping ideological feuds. Arguments over what constituted the best direction for the Tane people grew into divisive schisms, and then into outright violence as various factions, armed with the new technologies, sought to impose their own evolutionary ideologies on the race, or sought to defend themselves against unwanted change. The last bastions of regional nationalism on Tane rallied against those in favor of a unified global government; both sides saw in genetic engineering the potential for both biological superweapons and genetically-engineered societies; for both good and ill. Fundamentalist factions held out for the elimination of ALL tampering with the gene-pool, seeing only darkness in any and all applications of the genetic sciences.....Extremists held out for extremes of genetic manipulation, universal and compulsory alteration of ALL Tane to eliminate ‘inferior’ traits and prevent the newly-’purified’ race from being dragged back down by ‘reservoirs of unperfected blood’....and between and around swirled a myriad of lesser factions, idealolgues, and socio-political parties with their own agendas. Even the deep space colonies were not spared being drawn into the conflict; indeed, many of the colonies had supported human genetic engineering as a means of adapting the colonial populace to alien environments, while others saw in the looming conflict the opportunity to gain political independence.
It is uncertain what was the final trigger, but ultimately, open warfare broke out. Biological warfare, nanotech weapons, and genetically-engineered supersoldiers rampaged across Tanias and the nearer colonies, and many feared that the Imperial Fall of legend that had spawned the Tane was going to repeat itself, with only the farthest colonial outposts surviving. Indeed, several factions did ultimately leave Tane space, to set up their own societies and conduct their own experiments in directed evolution. However, cooler heads ultimately prevailed before all-out catastrophe could take place, and a more moderate regime won control of both the government and the administration of the new technologies. A new government, named the Imperia(but NOT an empire), stepped up to administer to the recovery and work out a lasting consensus. The Change Wars, however, were the death-knell of insular nationalism and most of the old religious beliefs on Tane; a new, unified, global, secular organization arose from the ashes.
Complete records of the Change Wars are rare; many of the worst incidents occured in regions and situations where they could not be properly documented. In other cases, the post-War governments had deliberately scrubbed and sanitized the historical record(and the sites of the events themselves) to expunge the details of weapons and research considered too dangerous to be preserved. The new Imperia also went to great lengths to track down and neutralize stockpiles of war material and suspected weapons labs in the centuries following the ‘official’ end of the Change Wars. However, for decades, even centuries, afterwards, hidden and forgotten caches of war material occasionally turned up, especially in the colonies, to cause problems and claim victims long after hostilities had ceased. Tane authorities, to this day, continue to maintain open ‘black files’ on the final neutralization of Change War-era bioweapons.
The Change Wars are a mixed source of both bitter memories and atavistic pride for the Tane; they are ashamed of the colossal missteps the Change Wars represented, are horrified at the technological atrocities that occured during the period, and yet are also immensely proud of having survived their own hubris, and emerged the stronger for it.
But the Change Wars would have a more intimate and personal effect on the Tane; many of the genetic improvements ultimately enacted and made ‘standard’ as part of the enhanced Tane genome under the new regime would be the Tanes’ advanced immune system and resistance to disease and nanotech assault....a hedge against the possibility of Change War pathogens still lingering in the ecosystem, and against any future hostilities.
The Change Wars would also see major legislative reforms in Tane society. The indiscriminate use of genetically engineered soldiers during the Wars, and subsequent efforts to deal with surviving ‘super-soldiers’, bred in the Tane an abhorrence for the casual abuse of genetic engineering to produce expendable sentient weapons. The efforts of several Tane nation-states to disarm and cover their actions during the Wars by slaughtering their loyal clone-soldiers, and the slow lingering deaths of several enclaves of supersoldiers who had voluntatrily disarmed, only to discover that they had been engineered with genetic self-destruct mechanisms or inadequate attention to long-term health considerations(leading to foreshortened lives), led to sweeping legislation against the abuse of genetically engineered sentients(and lifeforms in general). Many modern Tane family-lines still proudly claim some of those ancient supersoldiers as ancestors, or remember , and honor the memories of, sentient bioweapons that were ‘adopted’ into Tane society during the reconstruction years.

[taalismn]

The Modern Tane State

“Why are we so dotty about aristocrats who aren’t hereditary, social castes that have no bearing in economic or opportunity access, and a priesthood that bears no resemblance to any religious order at all? Why bother calling ourselves an Imperium when we have no Emperor? Why do we pay homage to figureheads who have no real political power but can change the course of worlds with a word? Look a little deeper, friend, and see for yourself. Our ‘lords’ and ‘ladies’ work for society...we hold no non-entities up to glory they have not earned....And if the trappings of tradition give flavor to the mechanisms of society, then, we are not adverse to some guilt...As long as we are not guilty of neglecting the individual cogs of that mechanism....”

The moderate faction that emerged victorious from the Change Wars established the model of the current state, re-instating the ancient figurehead aristocracy as psychological role models to a constitutional democractic monarchy. Under the new Imperia system, while most of the new civil government were of the re-established peerage, noble birth is not a pre-requisite or requirement of civil service, but rather a perk of it. Title is given as recognition of service, and to be born into the Tane aristocracy is not to inherit power, but to shoulder responsibility if one passes the rigorous tests of fitness demanded of proper leadership. To keep the bloodlines of the Tane aristocracy fresh, and provide fresh impetus to change, the Tane are encouraged to marry across class, and to bring other peoples into the Imperial fold through peaceful means, such as marriage and patronage, on both the individual and planetary scales. Each new planetary alliance or acquisition sees a period of cultural assimilation, as new ideas from the new culture are dessiminated among the Tane(this can be adaptation or imitation of fashions, recreation forms, art styles, language, or the open forum critiquing of the newcomers), though some cultures may see a longer period of ‘in vogue’ than others. Some of the Tane’s finest leaders can proudly claim descent from the most simple of professions in the Tane past(the current house of Crysann claims several waste management specialists who kept the early Tane communities safe during a critical period of plague), and from worlds that had been outside the Imperium.
As vague and convoluted as this system seems to outsiders, it has stood the test of over four thousand years of technological galactic society.
Nanotechnology has allowed for the creation of a macrotech society----Planetary engineering is within their grasp, and already nanotech-assisted molecular reconstruction allows the Tane to create virtually anything from basic elements. Their biotech has conquered virtually all disease within the Tane race, and the threshold of true death is driven farther and farther away with each passing decade. The use of memory crystals and soul-backups, combined with fast-cloning and rapid-regeneration technologies means that even the dead can be brought back, their memories installed in new bodies. Psynetic technology allows for machines and computer networks that can be operated by thought, artists’ music and imagery streaming directly from their minds, news and communications available with a directed thought. This has resulted in a society that seems to have it all...materialism on demand, youth and health unending, a freedom from want and fear. And the Tane know it, and are afraid of it....Having encountered enough evidence of older alien societies that stagnated and declined, the Tane are eager to avoid that same fate, placing a strong emphasis on learning, both as individuals and as a race, and on constantly refreshing their cultural ideals. It is not uncommon for young Tane to travel incognito to less developed worlds to study a variety of subjects, as well as the hosting culture, ‘in the field’, exposing themselves both to new cultures, and no small danger(though some critics of the Tane have wondered if this practice haasn’t been exploited by the Tane government as an excuse to interfere in other peoples’ affairs under the excuse of ‘protecting Tane citizens’).
Modern Tane have a high sense of right and wrong, and their role in both; ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ could best sum up their philosophy. Once a Tane committs himself to a course of action, he stands ready to accept responsibility for its consequences, and to do what is necessary.
By the same token, Tane regard family as of equal importance....Great emphasis is placed on nurturing future generations and teaching the proper values. Crimes against the next generation are considered particularly atrocious, and “There are no orphans in the Tane nation” is more than an idle boast; it is fact; families practically bid for the right to raise orphans of both the Tane and outsiders.
Tane culturally fear what their imminent godhood may do to them....Knowing that the prospect of absolute power triggered the Change Wars has tempered Tane ambition and arrogance, as nobody wants to be known as being the example that proves that ‘power corrupts’.

Tanias Prime, the acknowledged Tane Homeworld, is now a largely agrarian planet, over 70% of the population having moved offworld, allowing the planet to be restored to a pristine, natural state, aside from a few modern communities, preserved historical sites, and extensive nature reserves. The majority of the system’s inhabitants live in large free space orbital habitats or on the nearby terraformed colony worlds.

Beyond Tanias Prime, the Tanelorn lay claim to over a thousand colonized worlds and outposts, and have assimilated several hundred human societies and allied with several dozen alien species. They enjoy vigorous trade and cultural exchanges, and are active participants in several major galactic alliances and treaty associations.

The Tane maintain a powerful military(indeed, they are THE military superpower in their galaxy), employing massive fleets of sophisticated warships, Artificial Intelligences, and weapons platforms throughout their space to maintain security. On a smaller scale, nanotechnology and information warfare technologies are used to incapacitate enemy forces, often without firing a shot.
The most feared, if little seen, facet of the Tane military machine is their vast intelligence-gathering and espionage network. With their aptitudes in psionics, nanotechnology, and Artifical Intelligence networking, the Tane have proven adept at insinuating their senses where conventional humint(human intelligence) assets cannot go, identify problems, and ...presumably...deal with the problem. Several times in the millenia-long history of Tane foreign relations, potentially volatile situations have been defused by the unseen removal, by fortuitous turn in health, of key political and military figures, or by the arising of other issues(accidents damaging military assets, economic overturns, revelations of scandal, etc...) that have deflected attention to other matters.
And, of course, it’s no small secret, that even if it is not politically expediant for the Tane to act directly, there are more than a few outside intelligence agencies, mercenaries, or private security organizations perfectly willing to do the dirty work, with the Tanes’ secret blessing....Sometimes, Tane patronage of the arts extends to the art of espionage, and more than a few freelance regime-changers or social adjustors, owe their escapes, unknowingly, to Tane guardian angels arranging matters to their benefit(a delay in police communications, gaps in security sensor coverage, deletion of key files, etc...).
“The Greatest Victories come Without Glory...or Blood” is supposedly a popular saying in certain circles of the Tane Imperial administration.


Tane travelling in the Three Galaxies often suffer from mistaken identity with the Altess....despite their apparent superficial physical and cultural similarities, however, the Tane deny any relation to the Altess Dynasty. For one thing, they are quick to point out, the Tane are politically more pro-active, and for every indolent, self-indulgent, super-wealthy Tane living it up, there are at least two Tane doing dangerous field work on some back-Rim world, or engaged in peacekeeping operations(even if it is a desk job remote-operating orbital surveillance platforms). The Tane are also less insular and paranoid---while they guard many secrets, they are far more open and sharing of their technologies and resources. Still, many outsiders(especially those who have crossed a Tane or run afoul of their armed forces) regard the Tane as haughty, arrogant, smug, know-it-all prigs who use devious tricks or overwhelming force of artillery to get their way when dealing with less-advanced peoples.

“For all that this blade has been made to a specification some 9,000 years old, constructed atom by atom of titanium and carbon by molecular machines, that this pommel is wrapped in nanomachine-impregnated fabric that optimizes the grip interface with my hand...does not in any way diminish the fact that it is a very SHARP blade....and that it is at your _throat_.”
----Lyntra E’aon, Tane Student-Adventurer


Alignments: Any, but most(80%) fall within the Good and Unprincipled alignments. Truly evil Tane are nearly unknown.
Lifespan: 900 years; possibly longer as their technology advances.
Size: Range from 5-7 ft tall, 100-250 lbs
Gender: Heterosexual, Males and Females. Reproduction similar to humans, but Tane women can suspend their menstrual cycles(given their longer lives, they have more time to have children over a longer period of time), restarting their fertility cycles when they choose.
Physical Description/Appearance:
Tane are humans in appearance, with similar variations in height, weight, and racial characteristics, but can be distinguished by having a better physical build(Tane rarely run to extremes like anorexia or obesity) and almost glowing good health and superior coordination. Dark skin and dark hair colors are dominant among the Tane. Their most striking feature, however, are their polychromatic eyes, that lack pupils, but seem to glow with metallic highlights.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Similar to baseline Humans. Most ‘true’ Tane, however, seem to be open-minded and cosmopolitan, while having well-defined senses of honor and codes of conduct. A love of the arts, freedom of speech, pursuit of knowledge, and love of family(and children in general) are also pronounced Tane social traits. Their culture approaching a state of absolute prosperity and perfect management of resources, coupled with their effective immortality, Tane tend to be deathly afraid of becoming complacently decadent and stagnant as a culture and as a people(“Arrogance and Inactivity Lead to Ennui. Ennui Begets Complacency. Complacency is Stagnation, Stagnation is Death”). This lends itself to a strong desire to experience new things and perform acts worthy of their people’s exulted status, such patronage of the arts, altruistic endeavors, and social uplift.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 4d6
ME: 5d6
MA: 3d6
PS: 3d6+4
PP: 4d6
PB: 4d6
PE: 4d6
SPD: 6d6
(ISP):
(PPE): 3d6
Hit Points: 5d6+P.E.+1d6 per level of experience
SDC: 1d6x100
MDC:----
Horror Factor: None
Natural Abilities:
*Advanced Immune System
+8 save versus poisons/toxins, +5 save versus drugs/other chemicals(reduce the effects by 25%, and duration by HALF), and effectively impervious to disease. They are also +7 to save versus transformations, including magic transformations and Vampire Bite.

*Regeneration---Tane heal at an astonishing rate, thanks to a combination of low level psionics, advanced immune systems, and bio-feedback techniques: 1d6Hit Points or 1d6+3 SDC per melee of rest or sleep.

*Longevity---Tane can live 500 years or more without extensive medical care; 900 years with regular checkups...and advances in medical technology, and use of Soul-Caching promise to make Tane potentially immortal.

*Superior Reflexes---+3 Initiative, +3 to Automatically Dodge without using up a melee action/attack, +1 APM, +1 Disarm, +3 Pull Punch, +2 Roll, and can be considered to be Ambidextrous

*Heightened Senses
---Superior Vision-----Can make out and read a streetsign at 3 miles away, and can calculate distances with amazing accuracy(80%+3% per level of experience), +1 to Strike with thrown objects/weapons.
---Passive Nightvision---Excellent low-light vision...can see 200 ft under moonlight conditions, or 90 ft in total darkness.
---Polarized Vision---Tane vision is baffled against bright lights, and they suffer no penalties from glare.
---Enhanced Hearing---Tane can hear better in the sub- and ultrasonic ranges; not quite as acutely as a dog, but well enough to afford a +1 Parry, +2 Dodge, +5 Initiative on auditory cues alone...Can pick up on whispered conversations up to 350 ft away.
---Enhanced Sense of Touch---Can identify subtle changes in texture by touch alone(70%+2% per level of experience). +10% to skills requiring a deft hand and sense of touch, such as penmanship, palming, pick locks/pockets, computer repair, etc. Penalties for being blind are only -5, rather than -8, for actions requiring touch.

Psionics: (Master)
*Telemechanics---No cost for operating psi-capable Tane hardware
*Telemechanical Mental Operation---No cost for operating psi-capable Tane hardware
*Perfect Recall
*Summon Inner Strength
*Telepathy(Tane)---Tane possess a form of telepathy usable only between other Tane, that is effective without any ISP cost...To have operable Telepathy that works on other beings, the power must be selected again

Tane can select 2d6 psionic powers from Sensitive, Healing, and Physical

Magic: Tane legend tells of magic in the distant past, but the modern Tane do not practice it, having assumed that such tales were merely misinterpretations of psionic phenomenoa...However, with their greater exposure to the Megaverse, the Tane have begun to accept the existance of ‘real magic’, though as of yet none have made any serious attempt to practice it. Should the Tane government decide to pursue serious study and application of magic, they are likely to direct their research along similar lines to the CS Vanguard OCCs.
Certainly, members of the ancient Tane Pantheon practice magic, so the ability is likely in the Tane.

Available OCCs: Any......Older Tane will frequently multi-class as a way of relieving the ennui of their long and prosperous lives. ‘Rogue’ classes such as City-Rat or Smuggler are likely to be ‘gentrified’ versions of the same, reflecting more a lifestyle than an economic or criminal necessity(i.e., the Tane CityRat is more of a dedicated urban-arcology dweller than a border-culture slum dweller, while the Smuggler or Bounty-Hunter will be a professional humanitarian-aide mover or licensed skiptracer/law enforcer).
More powerful Psionic OCCS can be selected as well, but multi-classing will be impossible for those who voluntarily take the mental enhancement treatments(or through the vagaries of mutation) for the expanded psionic abilities early on in life.

RCC Skills:
Computer Operation(+15%)
Language/Literacy:
Select 4 at +15%
Athletics
Skills of Note:
Technical at +10%

Cybernetics/Bionics: Tane believe in certain forms of cybernetic augmentation(especially their own neural/wetware), and aren’t opposed to medical prosthetics, but frown on more gross/radical forms of augmentation for the sake of power. Minor genetic upgrades, as well as naotech-implemented biotech implants, are commonplace(in fact, the Tane military has its own forms/equivalents of Cyber-Armor and of the Chinese GeoFront skin-armors). Many Tane travelling abroad may have 1d6 specialized elective cyber-genetic implants, such as lung-filters, oxygen storage cells, venom-stinger forearm needles, enhanced tastebuds, or other survival aides...

Culture: Generous use of matter replication and nanotechnology, along with early stage solar-scale engineering, has led to a prosperous egalitarian society. The Tane could operate as a money-less society, but continue to use Tanemarks in order to facilitate trade with other races.

[Roscoe Del'Tane]

Not to seem to be arrogant or anything, but I can't help but notice the similarity between that last races name and my online alias... coincidence?

[shiiv-a]

dude ... it only matters IF the ego is that big ...

mine is sooooo far down the meter that its near the '0' mark ....

unlike my IQ .. which i hope is about 100 or so ... but i'm not too worried about what level i am on an IQ scale .. cause it only matters when it comes to things you learn from a book .. and i failed miserably.

i'm a tactile learner. [and more than a little tipsy at the moment]

[taalismn]

Not to seem to be arrogant or anything, but I can't help but notice the similarity between that last races name and my online alias... coincidence?

Pure coincidence...plus, if I'd used their original name, the Tanelorn, Michael Morcock mighta kicked my ass...

[taalismn]

dude ... it only matters IF the ego is that big ...

mine is sooooo far down the meter that its near the '0' mark ....

unlike my IQ .. which i hope is about 100 or so ... but i'm not too worried about what level i am on an IQ scale .. cause it only matters when it comes to things you learn from a book .. and i failed miserably.

i'm a tactile learner. [and more than a little tipsy at the moment]

You have useful skills...you feed people without poisoning them...you are a pillar of your own small community...Some of us envy those talents, and wonder why your ego seems to be your dump-stat...

[Aramanthus]

Very nice Taalismn! I love how you reference Tanelorn in the second to the last post. It's always been a favorite place in fantasy from one of my favorite writers.

[Roscoe Del'Tane]

Not to seem to be arrogant or anything, but I can't help but notice the similarity between that last races name and my online alias... coincidence?

Pure coincidence...plus, if I'd used their original name, the Tanelorn, Michael Morcock mighta kicked my ass...

Ah, ok. It just seemed to be too good to be true, to have a race like that named after one of my alter-egoes.

And of course, you have to stay on the good side of those with slavering, rabid lawyers. They tend to bite down hard, and take as much flesh with them as possible.

[Aramanthus]

I always thought of them more like remoras.

[taalismn]

The Tane have been buzzing in the back of my head for a while...They originally grew out of a Robotech idea...their most recent Prince Protector was supposed to be a VF pilot who got caught in the edge of a Zentraedi ship's fold envelope and got dumped in the Andromeda Galaxy over the Tane homeworld, promptly smacked into a sub-orbital mountain peak, and was resurrected as a Tane by their advanced medicine(they couldn't very well interrogate his frozen remains, so they grew him a new body)....Had the Tane discovered Earth(and they were looking for their latest 'sisterworld') during the Robotech Wars, things may have gone VERY differently...

But their technology is extremely advanced...nanotech-regenerating materials, gravitic-hopping munitions, and metapsychics that can be amplified and even programmed(Tane routinely swap psionic remote sensing and mind-block protocols like viral mantras)...think David Weber meets Julian May....If I ever feel like lighting a firestorm under my shorts, I'll try writing up and posting some of their ships, which would fall into the Munchkin mass classification...

[Roscoe Del'Tane]

I always thought of them more like remoras.

Nah, Sharks! At least, that's what my dad says, and considered he is one... sorry, gotta go with family ties on this one.

To be fair though, most of the lawyers out there are actually pretty decent people, its just that 3-5% scumbags out there that that give the rest of them such a bad name. Like most groups, societies and such. Just the lawyers tend tobe much more prominante and influential than most of the others. That and the fact that they ooze that 'oh-so-smug' greasy aura that seems to seep out of them and into your clothes and hair... sorry, off topic.

But yeah, most of them, according to him are more shark-like than remoras. Leave them alone, and for the most part, they will leave you alone. Mess with them, or get on their bad side, and get ready for a fight. 'Course my dad is a humongous dweeb, so I'm not sure how much faith I can put into those statements...

[taalismn]

I always thought of them more like remoras.

Nah, Sharks! At least, that's what my dad says, and considered he is one... sorry, gotta go with family ties on this one.

To be fair though, most of the lawyers out there are actually pretty decent people, its just that 3-5% scumbags out there that that give the rest of them such a bad name. Like most groups, societies and such. Just the lawyers tend tobe much more prominante and influential than most of the others. That and the fact that they ooze that 'oh-so-smug' greasy aura that seems to seep out of them and into your clothes and hair... sorry, off topic.

But yeah, most of them, according to him are more shark-like than remoras. Leave them alone, and for the most part, they will leave you alone. Mess with them, or get on their bad side, and get ready for a fight. 'Course my dad is a humongous dweeb, so I'm not sure how much faith I can put into those statements...

3-5%? That's better than some reports that only 50% of people who become police are really appropriate for the task...another 25% are marginaly, and 1 in 4 really should be in another line of work...

I have infinite respect for police, but I'm hoping that report was written by somebody who'd just gotten pullled over on a DUI...

It's armchair lawyers who I have a bone to pick with...you know, the ones who know enough law to sound intimidating, and are quick to protest that something is their 'right'? And you can't even tell them that their argument proves commonsense IS dead, because the subsequent public stink these people make far outdoes the actual weight of their argument? Suddenly THEIR privilege becomes YOUR business, or rather your perogative....

Now transpose that onto a galactic scale...

[Aramanthus]

I know Roscoe. I was just kidding! I do have relatives and friends who are lawyers too. And I know they are good folks too.

[taalismn]

It's just that evil and selfish lawyers have a certain perverse attraction (call it 'Dastardly Daring-do') entirely lacking in say, evil garbagemen or blackmarket librarians.....

[Aramanthus]

Blackmarket Librarians? That's a new one. So what do they sell? Information

[taalismn]

"Pssttt...25 credits for the only copy of the book you need to finish your report...and nobody else at your school has...YET..."

[Aramanthus]

LOL I can see the enforcer sort of thing. How much do your poor people visiting the library pay for you to allow them to leave?

Duct-tape works wonders for that permanent silence.

[taalismn]

....row of books on a shelf part slightly enough for a silencer to stick through...
*Pft!*

(I gotta get back to my Librarian Martial Arts and/or Bibliomancy....the two seem to be increasingly interrelated in their dependence on places of power(book collections)...)

[Aramanthus]

ROFLMAO!! Someday I'll have to visit your library with a boat load of body armor.

[taalismn]

ROFLMAO!! Someday I'll have to visit your library with a boat load of body armor.

Yes, we take donations...

We're always low on taser darts and rubber bullets...

[Aramanthus]

What about covering the books with a chemical that is absorbed thru the skin. And after you coat it with that chemical you then place some tranquilizers on it. That way you can control the patrons from being way too noisey.

[taalismn]

Drug interactions...too many collapsed seniors in the stacks...And I think the cops already read Eco's 'Name of the Rose'...
Besides, the REAL troublemakers don't handle books long enough for skin absorption chemicals to take effect....We'd have to coat the internet computer keyboards, CD jewel cases, and DVD cases...

[Aramanthus]

Yeah, your right those sort of people probably barely know how to read!

[taalismn]

It's the technological hurdle that isn't mentioned in the equations formulated to predict the rise of galactic-faring alien civilizations....

*Cellphones and AudioBooks....Z is the percentage of technology-using population wiped out driving their over-powered energy consumptive transport vehicles while listening to either, tied in to -b-, declining birthrate as technology advances.......

[Aramanthus]

I know what you mean. And then you look at the CS and the very low literacy rate. Since only the very highest echelon can read. So I suppose PB extrapelated the future some with the CS troops being illiterate. Since they probably use those books on tape. That way they can get the info the CS wants them too.

[taalismn]

Challenge: The Minion War is breaking out, and the Megaverse is likely caught off-guard...But it's also an opportunity for those shadowy races who have faced demons and devils before to step forward and face their old nemesises on THEIR home ground...Maybe they're ancient enemies nursing a grudge for millenia, maybe they're just a bunch of poor saps who got mauled by a prior encounter with the Hordes of Hades or Hel and now have the opportunity to try get some payback....Maybe prophesy guides tbeir hands/tentacles...or maybe they're just in the wrong place at the wrong time and Fate is out to steamroll them...

First Up: THe Rhakashasa---The Hades-Kitties have tricked and manipulated populations for eons from the shadows, victimized entire worlds....But surely somebody saw through their guises, even if too late, and set out to return the favor? The Rhakasis have unknowingly engendered an enemy, or maybe enemies, out for their blood...Maybe they're maimed saints, or maybe they're as bad as their ancient foes, but before these folks leave the cosmic stage, they've pledged to do it with their hands wrapped around and into a Rhakashasa throat, and go to their graves in a shround of flayed demon-tiger hide....Reach into your minds and imaginations, and discover them...

[Aramanthus]

Sounds niteresting Taalismn! I'm looking forward to seeing this new RCC.

[taalismn]

We'll see if anything rises....

[Aramanthus]

New civilazations rise and fall all of the time! Ours are on the rise!

[taalismn]

Got a few civilizations in mind?

[Aramanthus]

I know there are already several on this thread which could be used for that! Especially yours Taalismn!

[taalismn]

Not really...most of the time it's vampires or Splugorth who are the big ancient enemies people are bearing grudges against, but the Rhakshasa have managed to escape detection because fot heir operating methods and generous use of disguises...whoever pegs tem as their number one enemy is going to haveto develop the mindset and abilities to see through that....

[Aramanthus]

I think that the Rhakshasa's are long over due to have a group who hunts them. The race who hunts them might develope both magic and psi devices to help detect their ancient enemies. They might have special detectors on any entrance of building or ship to determine everyone who enters their presence is or is not a Rhakshasa. They might even have some wardings to keep them out too.

[taalismn]

I thought maybe uber-werewolves would be a good nemesis for cats, but I've already done the Sumi...and cats and dogs are so cliche...

[Aramanthus]

Hmmm a race of Cosmic powered werewolves! Sounds great!

[taalismn]

Hmmm a race of Cosmic powered werewolves! Sounds great!

Like I said, the Sumi are super-powered supernatural-hunting weres, but they don't have anything PERSONAL against the Rhakis...just general...

[Aramanthus]

I can't wait to see their alignment! It'll be interesting to see them.

[Aramanthus]

Sounds interesting. And it's a huge universe. You'd think there might several races hunting those pesky demons. They can be quite annoying.